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Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge Photo Hike
Spring was ready to reveal itself on the 187-acre Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge in Noyack, New York. During our two-hour photo hike sponsored by the Middle Country Public Library in Centereach, patrons walked among the wild birds and beachfront, a peninsula in part surrounded by Noyack and Little Peconic bays. Managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge is a part of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Caleb Smith Park Preserve Photo Hike
As we took in the views, I told jokes, answered photography questions, gave tips about selective focus, depth of field and how to achieve the best compositions. It reads as much more complex than if you were walking though a beautiful nature preserve in the company of others sharing an awe for what we were seeing.
Caleb Smith Park Preserve in Smithtown, NY is one of four state nature preserves on Long Island. Here is Willow Pond within the park’s 543 acres, where we composed most of our pictures. Children, 15 and under, are invited to fish on Willow Pond from April 1st to October 31st. Fly fishing on the nearby Nissequogue River is available from April 1st to October 15th (NYS freshwater fishing license and reservations required).
According to parks.ny.gov, the Nature Museum showcases natural history exhibits including a Great Blue Heron, Red Fox, Flying Squirrel and a River Otter. Along the hiking trails you might find rare plants like Pink Lady Slipper, Trailing Arbutus, and Indian Pipe. Bird watchers will delight in the variety of feathered friends found in the preserve, such as Prothonotary Warblers, Virginia Rails and Osprey to name a few.
During winter months the snowy landscape is crisscrossed not only with animal tracks but also with cross country ski and snowshoe tracks.
Stay tuned for the next Photo Hike. Learn more at the Middle Country Public Library at https://www.mcplibrary.org/ and the Caleb Smith Park Preserve at https://parks.ny.gov/parks/124/details.aspx
AMCA Yankee Chapter Road Run 2023
The Franklin County Fairgrounds in Greenfield, Massachusetts, was the hub of the July 28 to August 3, 2023 meet while the road run took approximately 85 riders through the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, a string of covered bridges in Southern New Hampshire and some side trips to landmarks like Mt. Greylock, the Deerfield River campground, Winsor Dam and the Quabbin Reservoir and its lookout tower.
“Ride ‘Em; Don’t Hide ‘Em”
The 2022 Port Jefferson Hill Climb
Hop in a 1967 Corvette Sting Ray (virtually) and join this year’s antique car parade held annually in Port Jefferson village, NY that’s a reenactment of the original 1910 spectacle.
Terrell River County Park Photo Hike
Thanks to the Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY, for sponsoring two photography hikes on May 21 and 26, 2022 and having me as their photography instructor. We enjoyed a 2.7 mile trek through Terrell River County Park, Center Moriches directed by Amber Gagliardi through a lush deciduous forest to see deer, a turkey and her chicks, a box turtle, swans, ducks, the river, the bay beach, a majestic maple and a collage of vines. Fragrant wisteria bloomed at the trailhead.
I asked the smartphone and camera-toting patrons, “What interested you to sign up? The photography part or the hike part?” Almost in unison, the group said, “Both!”
Seasonal Color
Blacksmithing
A visit to living history in a Greenport, NY barn reveals that “blacksmithing is still alive and well,” according to Tom Barry, Village Blacksmith. “There is no threat to blacksmithing,” he said.
On weekends in the historic maritime whaling port you can find Barry “smithing” over a hot anthracite coal fire in the Front Street barn where he works on weekends. That barn, from East Marion, was moved to the site of the original blacksmith barn in view of Greenport’s marina.
Barry often hears visitors making an inaccurate claim that his is a lost art.
“We don’t exist in this form,” he says–referring to the living museum from which he works–“where you walk around the village and might see two or three blacksmith shops working all day. Now, we’re just farriers who drive to the barns who shoe the horses; toolmakers who work out of buildings in their backyards, and professional blacksmiths who have hybrid shops doing forging and welding, all doing beautiful architectural work. These businesses are all over.” –Miranda Gatewood
Nine Views
Nine Views is the name of an assignment that I gave two of my Introduction to Photography classes at Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY in the Spring 2022 semester.
The aim is to choose one subject. It can be a person, place or a thing. The smaller the subject, the harder it will be to explore it thoroughly (e.g., the eye of a bee). Don’t choose too large a subject (e.g., the Cross-Bronx Expressway) either.
I implored them to explore the subject photographically, shooting it from as many viewpoints and angles as possible, realizing the subject in as many ways as possible.
Think of the ways one might approach a subject: from above, below, back, sides, front, close-up, from a distance; framing it, cropping it, in full sun, in dim light, etc. Spending time with the subject will enable you to discover aspects that will reveal themselves over time.
Think of mood, about how you are communicating an idea, and about how the images you are taking reflect your active viewpoint or how they passively capture what exists. Can a photograph show bias? Of course; the mere choice of subject projects bias.
Sort through all the photographs you took and select nine completely different photographs to represent diverse ways the subject can be viewed.
Of course, my students can count on me to do every assignment that I give them.
Winter 2022 Digital Photography Virtual Exhibition
Curated by Miranda Gatewood and produced by Lorena Doherty
Showcasing the photographers participating in Photo Safaris, the North Shore Public Library, Shoreham, NY. February-March 2022.
“The secret of photography is the camera takes on the character and personality of the handler.” –Walker Evans
The photographs in this exhibit show an amazing curiosity about the world in our midst. There are images about nature, but what’s revealed is the photographer’s sense of awe. There are images of water, landscapes, and similar scenes, but the works are actually impressionism. This is why photography is such a beloved art form: it’s so readily accessible, yet with a bit of creative imagination, it can make the mundane into the magical. Also evident is that the group enjoyed an awakening and the freedom of a journey without end.
–Miranda Gatewood
About this exhibition and the Photo Safaris:
Beginning in 2018, Lorena Doherty of the North Shore Public Library booked me to teach a photography workshop and the subsequent field outings that we called Photo Safaris. A year prior, Karen Thum, a librarian at the Riverhead Free Library showed me photographs she had taken with her smartphone and was impressed with my critique as I pointed out their merits and compositional strengths.
“You should teach!” Karen concluded.
“OK!” I agreed.
I had been exhibiting since 1977. After enjoying a vivid 40-year career in publishing, a new door opened for me when Karen booked my first workshop. I have since taught at East End Arts, Gallery North and Farmingdale State College. It’s an ongoing exploration and conversation with a few dozen people running alongside me!
I never expected those early workshops to be at capacity. But I had seen more and more people, retired or still mid-career—who had lost touch with what brought them joy—were turning to photography.
Far from an academic art class, anyone can enjoy a photography walk. More and more people showed up with cellphones or retrieved their old 35mm cameras, and learned a little at a time. I offered one-on-one instruction and answered questions as we walked. Almost immediately, a solid group of faithful patrons formed who, like Lorena and me, loved pictures, whether it be looking at them, taking them or talking about them.
When the pandemic shut down the libraries, we paused then went virtual. Lorena realized the value of keeping this group together and worked to reawaken everyone and guide them through the new virtual format. I came up with theme assignments like Home & Shelter, Pure Portrait/Self-Portrait, Water, Pattern/Color/Texture, Mirrors & Windows, Gravity, Posterity/The Past, Fears & Phobias, Fall Light, Masks and Unrealities. In December, Lorena organized the most recent in-person outdoor Photo Safari at Spirit’s Promise Horse Rescue.
Patrons thrilled in the sheer joy of discovery as they shared themed photographs, received critiques and saw examples from historical masters in the art of photography in each one-hour workshop. The outcome was the same for all of us: to relish in a playful awakening of imagination and to be a part of this meaningful show of fine work.
–Miranda Gatewood
See the show at this link. https://northshorepubliclibrary.org/art-exhibition-winter-2022-digital-photography-exhibition/
Stay tuned for more Photo Safaris! All at northshorepubliclibrary.org
Equine Rescue Photo Safari
Thanks to the North Shore Public Library in Shoreham, NY for the opportunity to conduct both online and in-person Photo Safari tours for their patrons. On a recent sunny, chilly Sunday in December, the group visited Spirit’s Promise Equine Rescue, 2746 Sound Ave, Riverhead, NY for a tour by Marisa Striano, founder and board president. If you haven’t been dazzled by the incredible affinity between people and horses, pay a visit to experience this remarkable communication.
MIRANDA GATEWOOD 